Improvement in bill-files



Uivrtrrm STATES PATENT OFFICE.;

JAMES A. AUSTIN, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT *IN "BILL-FILES'.

Specification forming part of LettersPatent No. 195,248, dated September"1 8,11tl77 application filed Toall'whomft't'my concern: v

Be it known that I, J AMES A. AUSTIN, of

Brooklyn., in thecounty ofKings and State of New York, `have invented certain Improvements in Letter and tPostal-Card Files, of

which the following isla specification This invention relates to lesdesigned to be used in -arranging vin 4order and putting away forfuture reference letters, postal cards, bills, and other papers of like nature; and is designed .to furnish a cheap and efficient iile of form of the le when filled, and-other sub-1 stantial advantages.

To accomplish these results I construct my ile substantially as hereinafter described.

Figure 1 is a side view of a file constructed in accordance with my invention, and adapted to the arrangement and preservation of letters and other papers having considerable breadth of page, a portion of the cover being broken away to show the indexdetters. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, showing it partly open. Fig. 3 is a side view oi a file adapted for the arrangement and preservation of postal cards. Fig. 4 is a detailed view, showing the mode of attaching the index-letters.-

A A are covers of the le, which may be made of junk-board, suitably covered, or of any other appropriate material. a a are the interleaves, which are adapted to separate alphabetically or otherwise the papers which may be placed in the file. These interleaves must be made in or formed into a continuous sheet, its folds opening at opposite edges of the cover, as indicated in Fig. 2, and one end of the entire sheet should be attached to one of the covers, as shown in the same ligure, and the other end to the other cover, in the same or equivalent manner. The interleaves a a are formed of a single long sheet of strong and tolerably stii paper, by folding it in alternate directions, as shown.

The index-letters are printed on strips of paper b, of sufficient length to allow them to be folded back upon each other, and pasted or otherwise secured, upon both sides vIot'ithe fold, and lupon =each other, in .the :form shown in Fig. 4.,ifor :the'reasonthat otherwise, as the fold might'be bent bythe insertion cfg-papers, the index-letters would be `bent down away from thelobserver; but` by thisconstruction, and `pasting them upon each other till vthey reach the fold, and then 4upon opposite sides 0f the fold, this tendency-is nearly or quite 3 fthe file naturally-closed, while, at thesame time, they are suficiently elastic to allow the file to be opened a short distance, suflicient for the introduction and removal of papers. I prefer elastic webbing for these straps or bands, for the reason that they have a limit of elasticity which may serve to prevent the tilefrom being overlled by careless or ignorant persons.

A ap, C, `(shown in Figs. 1 and 2,) is attached to each of the covers, and has an elastic strap, D, attached to it, which latter carries at its end an eye, e, adapted to hook upon hook f of the other cover. I prefer pure vulcanized gum rubber for these straps D. This part of the construction not only protects the edges of the file and the papers it contains, and prevfents all danger of the latter falling out of place, but also, when one of these flaps is unhooked, and the le open on that side for the insertion, removal, or examination of papers, the other flap not only retains the papers contained in the folds which open at the other edge of the file, but also forms a back or hinge lilrethe back of a book for the closed edge of the le to turn on as the other is opened.

Fig. 3 represents a le containing a portion of my invention, and designed for .the reception of postal cards.

The internal parts of this postal-card le are constructed exactly as hereinbefore described for the letter-file; but in the external parts it is not deemed necessary that it should be quite so elaborate, partly on account of its very small size. 1n this file, (shown in Fig. 3,) E E represent elastic bands, which extend entirelyaround the file, and these may be made of elastic web or pure vulcanized gum rubber, the latter being, probably, on the Whole, most desirable. These elastic bands E E are secured in position near the ends of the file by loops g g, bent down upon them. When it is desired to open the tile these elastic bands E are turned from the edge of the le which is to be opened around upon the end thereof, and nearly to the middle of the le, which allows the tile to be opened suciently for the insertion or removal of a postal card.

It will be seen vby an examination of the construction shown in Fig. 4 that the loops or stops g g are arranged much nearer to the ends of the file thanv they are lto the sides, so that when the bands E E are slipped round overthe ends of the iile to allow the file to be opened, and cards or other papers inserted or removed, the distance which the band E has to extendfrom the loop g on one cover to the loop g on the opposite coverl is much less than the distance which itrhas to extend when it reaches over the side instead of the end of the ile. This is important and essential, for the reason that otherwise the proper and convenient opening of the 'rile for the insertion or removal of papers, Without too great a tax on the elasticity of the band, would be impracti- V cable.

with reasonable satisfaction for noteand letter files, though I prefer for letter-files the construction I have previously described. f

It is obvious from the foregoing description that my le may bev formed with any desirable number of interleaves, and hence that there may be sucient folds for an entire alphabet of letters on one edge of the file, and for another alphabet at the other edge, or there may be only a sufficient number of folds for a single alphabet in the entire le, in which case the alphabet will be divided, one half of it appearing at one edge of the le and the other half at the other edge.

It will also be obvious from the foregoing description that this tile which 1 have described, while securing the letters placed in it with certainty, at the same time allows a letter to be readily inserted or withdrawn when desired, and it is also obvious that, while this file possesses these important advantages, it can be very cheaply made.

I claim as my inventiony l As a new article of manufacture, the herein-described bill-file, consisting of the openended, double-indexed interleaves, formed from a continuous folded sheet. provided with detached covers A A, having the securingflaps G C and elastic fastening-straps B D, all substantially as described.

JAMES A. AUSTIN.

VWitnesses:

EDWIN M. DONNELLY, THos. P. How. 

